Patty Mills and AJ Ogilvy (a few years younger)
As preparations continue for the Australian Boomers‘ 2010 FIBA World Championships campaign, things are getting clearer. Yes, I said “clearer”, not necessarily “better”.
The latest piece of clarity came with the news that CJ Bruton will not take part in the journey to Turkey. The veteran point guard has admitted that he feels his 34-year old body is not up to the rigours of a World Championships battle — leaving the door open for younger, fitter competitors to represent the green and gold. [click to read more]
Bruton missed most of the 2006 World Championships after taking part in a Cleveland Cavaliers veterans camp, only arriving in time to take part in the Round of 16, after the Boomers progressed that far. After completion of the 2009/10 NBL season with the New Zealand Breakers, he has been toiling in Puerto Rico with the Piratas de Quebradillas, making a positive impact (along with Shawn Redhage).
According to this SMH article, the news now means that Steve Markovic will slot in behind the now-clear starter in Patty Mills at the point guard spot. There was speculation previously that Mills may sit behind the more experienced Bruton. In addition, there was a lack of clarity as to whether Markovic would be selected by coach Brett Brown at all, with competition coming hard and fast from fellow guards Adam Gibson and Damian Martin. Indeed, there has been no public statement from Brown as to the exclusion of Gibson and Martin as the key backups to Mills. It will be interesting to see where the squad heads in that respect, given the defensive terrier-like games that Gibson and Martin have impressed Brown with.
The big question mark lies in the front court. With Andrew Bogut (injuries) and Nathan Jawai (a combination of fatherhood and fitness) both out of the tournament, the focus lies with Euroleague superstar Aleks Maric. The big man is fresh off a 10-month campaign with his Serbian side and is questioning whether he has enough in the tank to join the Boomers. His commitment to the team will mean a lot in terms of anchoring the middle.
David Andersen, whose NBA future appears a little uncertain, will undoubtedly start at centre under the current circumstances. Boomers veteran Matt Nielsen will man the power forward slot. Brown has recently made noise to the effect of liking Mark Worthington as an undersized, versatile four-man, likely backing up Nielsen. After an impressive showing against Argentina in their recent friendly series, Alex Loughton is in Brown’s good books and has a strong chance to be in that front court rotation as well.
The availability of Maric then determines whether the likes of AJ Ogilvy or Luke Nevill get a look-in as a twelth man on the roster, providing depth in the big man stakes.
The swingman position is definitely Australia’s deepest. Successful export Brad Newley will be relied upon to put up a large number of the team’s points at the shooting guard slot, whilst similarly, David Barlow (enjoying some fine play in Spain) will be a focus at the small forward position. Another export to Spain, Joe Ingles, will fill a lot of time at both of those slots too.
Brown has hinted that he would like to throw both Gibson and Martin onto the court simultaneously, with both able to handle the ball and provide full-court defensive pressure on opposing backcourts.
By my estimations, this makes the current roster look as follows:
Whilst the Boomers have their own problems with availability of key players, they are not alone. Across the World Championships, the playing field has been levelled by a slew of high-profile withdrawals. Pau Gasol will only be a television commentator for Spain. Dirk Nowitzki has just announced his unavailability for Germany (along with teammate Chris Kaman). Manu Ginobili will recover from injury rather than compete for Argentina. Team USA is a shell of its former self, with Kevin Durant being the key lone star for the squad. Germany and Argentina are two key pool competitors for Australia.
Following the completion of their Gold Coast camp, the Aussies will travel to China for the Stankovic Cup, train again in Melbourne and then play a four-nations tournament in France. The World Championships will be played in Turkey from 28 August to 12 September.
